How many counties are there in Ireland?

A:

Quick Answer

Ireland has 32 counties; 26 of these are in the Republic of Ireland, and the remaining six are in Northern Ireland. Its four larger territories are Ulster, Connaught, Leinster and Munster. Ulster is located in Northern Ireland, while the rest of the territories are in the Republic of Ireland. With more than a million people in its population as of 2015, Dublin county is the most populous. Leitrim, which is located in Connaught, is the least-populated.

Keep Learning

The six counties in Ulster are Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Londonderry and Tyrone. The most populated of these is Antrim, which is where Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland, is located. The largest county in Ulster is Tyrone, which covers more than 3,000 square kilometers. Antrim and Down were founded in the early 1500s, and the other northern counties were founded in 1584. The Government of Ireland Act in 1920 partitioned the northern counties into Northern Ireland, which remained under British control as part of the United Kingdom.

Connaught, which lies on Ireland's west coast, is made up of counties Roscommon, Galway, Leitrim, Sligo and Mayo. Popular destinations in Connaught include the Aran Islands, where the people maintain many ancient Irish traditions. The City of Galway is located in County Galway, which is the most populous of Connaught's counties. Roscommon is the only landlocked county in Connaught.

Dublin City, which is the capital of the Republic of Ireland, is in Dublin County, which is also known as the Dublin Region. It is located at the center of Ireland's eastern coast in the province of Leinster. County Dublin is divided into the administrative areas of Dublin City, South Dublin County, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County and Fingal County. It is the center of Ireland's financial, transportation, education and health industries.